


Sweet Tooth

by sophiamggwelsh



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Romance, pearl and greg are friends what
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 09:37:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8008423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophiamggwelsh/pseuds/sophiamggwelsh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pearl hasn't called Mystery Girl yet, Greg is Ultimate Advice Friend, and Mystery Girl is full of surprises.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sweet Tooth

If someone had told Pearl a couple months ago that her and Greg Universe would become friends, she probably would have laughed and rolled her eyes.

She definitely never believed that she would go to him for dating advice.

But there they were, laughing and talking and working together as Greg listened to Pearl’s dating crisis.

A couple days ago, Steven had lamented that there wasn’t a bonfire pit on their beach like in all his favorite teen movies. Pearl had reached out to Greg, and together they decided to surprise Steven by building him one on the beach in front of the Temple. Garnet had agreed to distract Steven by letting him accompany her on a solo mission, and Amethyst was out with Vidalia that day. So it was just Pearl and Greg as they stacked stones to make a pit large and safe enough for Steven. This was also an opportunity for Pearl to ask her only adult human friend for advice on the beautiful stranger she met one week previous at a concert.

“Is it common for humans to only leave an initial when they give someone their phone number?”

Greg chuckled and shook his head, “Not usually, but what do I know? I haven’t been in the dating scene in over 20 years! Honestly, it sounds like this woman wanted to make you curious enough about what her name is that’d you’d call her.”

If that was the case, than it was most certainly working. Pearl _was_ curious about this woman and she _did_ want to call her. But she hadn’t yet, despite Greg and Steven offering their phones to her multiple times. 

Greg placed the stones he was carrying down, and huffed out a breath. Pearl almost forgot that this labor was more strenuous on Greg’s human body, and was about to suggest he take a break when he continued talking.

“I say you just give this woman a call. She wouldn’t have given you her number if she didn’t want to hear from you. Besides, you don’t want to wait too long to call if someone gives you their number, then they think you’re not interested.”

Her head shot up from where she had been crouched looking down at the half built pit. “I didn’t realize there was an expiration date! I suppose that makes sense, with humans living such short lives…I’ll call her tonight. You may need to help me though.”

“Of course!”

She must be losing her touch, because neither her nor Greg heard someone walking up behind them until they spoke.

“Hey Pearl.”  
How could one person lace just two words with so much charm? Pearl stood and whipped around. In one moment, Pearl saw her, pink hair, green eyes, amazing lips, and in the next moment, her calves had stumbled into wall of the pit and she was falling back. Pearl, gem warrior, terrifying renegade, rebel, went tumbling back into the pit with her legs in the air. 

Opening her eyes, she expected to see blue sky. Instead her view was blocked by Greg and Mysterious Woman S. leaning over her and both reaching out to take one of her hands to pull her up.

Letting go of her hand, the woman looked worried. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you hurt?”

 _Just my pride_ , Pearl thought.

Pearl attempted to put on air of nonchalance as she brushed sand off herself. “I am perfectly fine. Thank you.”

Greg looked at them both, a knowing smile breaking out on his face. “Oh so you two must know each other.”

“Ah yes,” Pearl gave him a look that screamed, ‘Act casual and pretend we weren’t just talking about this woman.’ “We met at that Mike Krol concert. Greg, this is…”

This woman’s smile grew, as if teasing the fact that she never gave Pearl her actual name. 

“Sugar. You can call me Sugar.”

The two humans shook hands, a scene Pearl had not imagined happening today or anytime soon for that matter. Shocked at her sudden but not unwelcome appearance, Pearl asked, “How did you find me?”

This seemed to amuse Sugar, as she chuckled as she answered. “That was a happy accident, actually. I actually came to the beach to sketch,” she lifted the black bag Pearl just noticed was on her shoulder, “And while I was setting up, I saw the giant stone hand, so how could I not come check this out? And here you are.”

“Oooh. That’s the temple.” 

“Temple?” Sugar turned to gaze up at it, a look of awe on her face that made Pearl like her a little more.

“Yes, it’s somewhat complicated to explain.”

Sugar turned back with that flirtatious smile back on her face. “Maybe you can tell me all about it while I’m sketching. Or you just keep me company?” Her eyes darted to the pit behind them. “Unless you’re busy? Then I’ll go ahead and get out of your hair.”

“Nah, Pearl and I were just finishing up for the day.” Greg filled in, even though they had discussed no such thing.

Finding her voice, Pearl finally answered, “Yes! I’d love to join you. Let me just…change first.”

“Great, I’m going to set up a little further down on the beach, see you there.” With a mock salute, Sugar turned to leave.

As soon as Sugar was far enough, Pearl grabbed Greg and pushed him up the stairs and into the house.

“What do I do? I just told her I needed to change to give myself some time to think but I don’t own any human clothes!”

“Can’t you just faze your outfit into something else?”

“Hmm yes I suppose. What should I wear? What do you think is appropriate for this ritual?”

Greg shrugged. “Pearl, don’t wear something because I told you wear it, especially if it’s going to be something you’re uncomfortable with. Faze into something you like, something you feel comfortable in.”

Pearl thought on this for a moment. Wearing the pants Amethyst gave her was okay, but it didn’t feel like her, and by the end of the night she was just frustrated with them. Maybe it was best to faze into something.

Greg pulled his phone out and moved so that she could see the screen as well. “How ‘bout this. Let’s look up ‘women’s summer clothes’ and you can pick something you think you’d like and faze into that?” 

The two spent the next couple of minutes scrolling through his phone, before Pearl decided on a simple summer dress, knee-length with thin straps and blue as the sky.

“How do I look?”

“Great! And don’t worry about talking to her. Just be yourself. That’s how you got her number, right? And if she doesn’t like you when you’re being yourself, then she’s not worth it.”

Smoothing down her dress, Pearl nodded and turned to go. Before she reached the door, she turned and walked back to Greg, doing something she never did before. She hugged him.

“Thank you, Greg. For everything.” She let him go and was out the door before Greg could respond.

The setting sun was beginning to wash everything in oranges and pinks, but Pearl’s eyes focused on the woman sitting in the sand. Sugar. It was an odd name for a human, but Pearl thought perhaps it suited her. She wondered if that was truly her name, or another mysterious nickname.

Sugar didn’t look up until Pearl quietly sat down on the blanket she had laid out, already with her sketchpad and other art supplies spread around her. 

“Hey babe,” Sugar said, still pulling out pencils from her bag, “you look nice.”

“Thank you,” Pearl would not get flustered. She was a rebel who had gotten this woman’s number and she would not get flustered. “Do you come here often to create your art?”

“Not at all, only a couple times really. I just recently moved to the area, and this is the closest beach town. I like being near the water. Sometimes I paint the boardwalk at dusk, but sometimes it’s just nice to be on the beach when I’m drawing. This is a damn beautiful town, really.”

Pearl understood the abstract beauty of Earth and humans, how they live so freely, but had never bothered to see beauty in their actual lives. Cities rose and fell and to the gems it was just small fragments of their lives. But she looked out to the ocean, to the boardwalk in the light of the setting sun, this place they raised Steven, to this woman, and had to say that she agreed.

“You’re right. This is a beautiful place. I’m lucky to be here.”

Sugar was silent and she looked at Pearl, like she was trying to figure something out, then said, “Can I draw you?”

“You want to draw me? Why on Earth would you want to do that?”

As if thrown off by this, Sugar laughed and said, “I don’t know, because you seem like someone worth making art of? You don’t have to say yes, I was just asking.”

“No! I mean, yes. Yes, that would be fine. What should I do?”

“Stay sitting there so the light is facing you. Turn your head, yeah just like that. Okay relax your face, there’s no need to smile like a goon. Just relax. Perfect.”

Sugar readjusted so that she was sitting in front of Pearl, the sun at her back, and picked up a pencil. “You can talk. I’d like you to, just try not to move your head too much.”

Despite this, the two were silent in the beginning. It wasn’t uncomfortable though. To her surprise, Pearl liked the way Sugar looked at her when she was drawing her, all serious and concentrated on Pearl’s face, biting her lip before looking back down on the page. Sugar was the first to break the silence.

“Not gonna lie, I was a little bummed you never called me.” 

Pearl turned her head to look at her, before remembering she wasn’t supposed to and moved back. 

“I’m sorry! I had meant to, but these last days have been chaotic, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say but I had fully intended on calling and-”

“Pearl! It’s totally fine. I was just teasing you. You don’t need to explain yourself to me,” Sugar paused before continuing, “Besides, you can still call me. It’s not like my number’s changed.”

Keeping her face from breaking into a huge grin was proving difficult for Pearl, “That sounds nice. Yes, I would like that.”

After that the two talked more freely. Pearl asked Sugar about her art and Sugar asked Pearl about her strange family. Pearl asked if Sugar was her real name and she told her she’d have to stick around long enough to find out. Despite species differences, it went smoothly, and it was so different than any conversation Pearl had had in thousands of years. 

“Alright, I think it’s done. Take a look.” Sugar moved so she was sitting right next to Pearl, their thighs touching, hot and a little sticky from the heat. She passed over the sketchbook. 

It was a shock to Pearl, but she didn’t know why. Of course she had seen herself in mirrors. She knew how she looked. But this portrait made her look softer, more open, than Pearl had thought of herself. Was this how this woman saw her?

“It’s…it’s lovely. Thank you.”

“I just drew what I saw.” They were sitting so close, and Sugar was looking at Pearl’s eyes and down to her lips and now the setting sun was washing her face lilac. Pearl was in the here and now.

“ _You’re_ lovely” and then Pearl was pressing her lips onto Sugar’s lush ones. It was a brief, sweet kiss before Pearl pulled away and murmured, “That was nice.” 

Sugar’s face was contemplative as she said, “Hmm I don’t know, maybe we should do it again to make sure.” And she was pulling Pearl into her for another.

And it was nice.

But they kissed again. And again. And again. Just to make sure.

**Author's Note:**

> Jumping on the bandwagon, I know! Lauren Zuke said she imagined Mystery Girl's name as Sheena, but I also read some fan theories that Rebecca Sugar would voice her, and her name would be Sugar and I sort of loved that?
> 
> Talk to me at [my tumblr!](http://the-panda-palace.tumblr.com/)


End file.
